Survey predicts
a jump in travel spending next year
HILARY
ROXE
Associated Press MIAMI BEACH, FLA. - American travelers
are planning to spend more next year, take to the air more often and visit both
international and domestic destinations, according to a survey released Wednesday
by American Express. On long vacations, travelers surveyed
said they planned to spend an average of $2,962 on airfare, accommodations and
other vacation expenses in 2004 - $799 more than in 2003. In addition, the number
of travelers planning to spend more than $5,000 on long vacations in 2004 nearly
doubled, to about 11 percent of those surveyed. Still, the vast majority of travelers
across all income groups, called themselves "value-minded." The survey also predicts a jump in
air travel - 55 percent of those surveyed said they were planning a domestic or
international flight, compared to 44 percent in 2002. More than three-quarters
of airline travelers said they are attracted to discount airlines, such as JetBlue,
Southwest and Song. "The events over the past several
years have a profound effect on traveling," she said at the American Society
of Travel Agents' World Travel Congress in Miami Beach. The survey shows that more people are
thinking about traveling internationally. American Express travel agents predicted
the top destinations for in this category in 2004 will be Rome, Acapulco,
London, Athens and Paris. Though 45 percent of travelers said
they use the Internet to plan trips, the majority of travelers still prefer to
book their trips over the phone or through an agent, the survey showed. Some credit the state of the economy
for the anticipated jump in the travel industry. "It appears that consumer confidence
is a little stronger," said Rocco Laterzo, a senior vice president at Establishment
Services at American Express. The American Express Leisure
Travel Index was based on a telephone poll of 1,356 adults nationwide conducted
between Sept. 23-29. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The people surveyed were not necessarily American Express customers. | 
